Coconut rhinoceros beetle found at Barbers Point

It is farthest west the beetle has been found on Oahu

A male coconut rhinoceros beetle has been found in a trap at Barbers Point, which is the farthest west that it has been found on Oahu since it was first detected in December 2013, according to the Hawaii Department of Agriculture.

The majority of the beetle detections remain within the two-mile buffer zone with the golf course at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam as the center. This new detection extends the buffer zone one mile west and increases the total buffer zone by 9 square miles.

The new detection of the single adult male coconut rhinoceros beetle was found on May 21 in a panel trap in an industrial area. Traps will be deployed in higher density in the expanded buffer zone. Additional surveys for breeding sites and damage to coconut trees will be conducted.

In addition, a new breeding site was detected on May 21 on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam. This new site is near a green waste storage area that has been closely monitored by crews.

Since the beetle was first detected, eradication crews have set about 1,200 panel traps all over Oahu and surveyed about 66,000 palm trees and 150 mulch sites. About 360 adult beetles, 520 larvae and 16 pupae have been found, again, mostly within the original buffer zone.

A multi-agency group has been working under the Incident Command System to manage this eradication program. Agencies involved include the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, UH-College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Oahu Invasive Species Committee and others.